Marine drive



March 6, 1945.

w. c. WQSENITZ MARINE DRIVE Filed March 16, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 aINVENTOR. l/f/flam Gildasen/; BY Wu K 0/ March 6, 1945. w, C wos m-rz2,371,013

MARINE DRIVE Filed March 16, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iiil-sjili I gmINVENT OR.

WWW/77 5 6005 em) BYWKLZZIOWJ Patented Mar. 6, 1945 MARINE DRIVE WilliamO. Woscnitz, New Brunswick, N. J.

Application March 16, 1943, Serial No. 479,301

5 Claims.

' This invention relates to marine craft and it is concerned primarilywith the powerdrive for such craft.

A marine craft of the type with which this invention is concerned,ordinarily includes a power plant. While such a power plant mightconsist of various multiple units, this invention recognizes the powerlant as a single entity and makes provision for driving the craft atincreased speeds with such a unitary power plant. When motion is firstimparted to a vessel, there is a comparatively great moment of inertiawhich must be overcome. Due to. this condition, it is necessary thatinitial movement of the boat take place with the maximum power which maybe derived from the power, plant operating on what might be called acomparatively small propeller surface. to the boat, increased speed maybe obtained by increasing the area of the propeller surface,

1 at the same time utilizing the full power of the power plant.

With these broad ideas in mind, the invention has, as an object, theprovision of a marine craft, including a power plant, and a mainpropeller which is connected directly to the power plant by a main driveshaft. A pair of auxiliary propellers are properly assembled with themain propeller and mounted on auxilary drive shafts which are adapted tobe driveably connected to the main drive shaft. When the craft firstgets under way, the main propeller is driven directly from the powerplant under maximum power, while the auxiliary propellers idle. When aproper momentum is obtained, the driving relation between the main shaftand auxiliary shafts is established to drive all the propellers underthe maximum power of the power plant.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages, such as arise incarrying out the above I noted thoughts in a practical embodiment, willin part become apparent, and in part be hereinafter stated as thedescription of the invention proceeds. v

The invention, therefore, comprises a marine craft including a powerplant, a main propeller connected directly to the power plant by a maindrive shaft, a pair of auxiliary drive shafts with an auxiliarypropeller on each auxiliary shaft,

and means for establishing a driving relation be;

tween said main and auxiliary drive shafts, as occasion demands.

- For a full and more complete understanding After momentum has beenimparted following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view, somewhat diagram-' matic, of the rearportion of a marine craft which is designed in accordance with theprecepts of this invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed showing of one modified type ofmechanism which may be eme ployed to driveably connect the maindriveshaft the reference character H, and is shown as including a powerplant P. Obviously, the articular shape and design ofthe hull is nolimitation of the invention and, while, for the purposes of thisspecification, the power plant? is considered as a single entity, itobviously could be made" up of multiple units.

A main drive shaft designated 10 is shownuas, w

connected to the driving element l l of the power: plant P by drivingcoupling represented at [2. This main drive shaft I!) may be mounted inany appropriate bearings that are carried by the hull H. In thedrawings, these bearings are shown at l3, M, and IS. The main driveshaft I0 projects through the hull H in the rear, and on theexterior,driveablycarries a main propeller in -a well-known manner; Itis clearly evident that this -main propeller I6 is connected directly tothe power plant P through the main driveshaft [0, coupling l2, andelement l Anauxiliary drive shaft 11 is shown as mount-m ed in bearingl8, l9, and 20, which are carried by the hull H, as is apparent, and theauxiliary shaft l1 driveably carries an auxiliary propeller 2| which ismounted exteriorly of the hull H,. as illustrated. A second auxiliaryshaft 221is mounted on the other side of the main drive shaft ID bybearings 23, 24, and Y25, which are carried by the hull H. A secondauxiliary "pro.-

peller 2G is driveably mounted on the shaft" 22,

exteriorly of the hull H.

A sheave assembly is shown at 21 as being keyed on the auxiliary shaftI! so as to be in driving relation with respect thereto. This sheaveassembly comprises a necessary number of pulley elements of Vcross-sections, such as the three .illustrated in the drawings.

of the invention, reference maybe had to the '55 sheave assembly 28 iskeyed to the auxiliary shaft Another 22 and i made up of a similarnumberof pulley elements.

A main sheave assembly 29 is mounted for free mounted for free rotationon the main drive shaft [0, and yet is adapted to be driveably connectedtherewith by the clutch mechanism C. A comrotation on the main driveshaft ID. This sheave assembly 29 consists of a number of pulleyelements equal to the combined total of the pulley elements in theassemblies 21 and 28. Belts 30 of V cross-sections operatively connectthe sheave assembly 21 with the main sheave assem bly 29, whileadditional belts (not shown) similarly connectthe sheave assembly 28 andthe main sheave assembly 29. l

= When the main sheave assembly 29 is free on; Q

the main drive shaft ID, the latter may be driven from the powerplant Pwithout affecting the auxiliary drive shafts I! and 22. When occasionarises that it becomes desirable to establish the driving relationbetween the main drive shaft l0 and the auxiliary drive shafts l1 and22, the

clutch mechanism shown at C is employed to cause the sheave assembly 29to rotate with-the The particular type of main drive shaft I0. clutchmployed for this;purpose is susceptible of wide variation, as anywell-known type of clutch may be employed for this purpose.

In the illustrated embodiment, the collar shown at 31 is shiftable underthe influence of a yoke 32 which is moved from a hand-operating lever(not illustrated) to interlock as illustrated at 33. Inasmuch as thecollar'3l is keyed to the main drive shaft 18,

e as shown at 34, the establishment of the interlock at 33 causes themain sheave assembly 29 to rotate with the main drive shaft It.

The operation of the above described mechanism which is illustratedinFigure 1, is believed I to be obvious.

H is a part, is first started, the clutch C is'discon When the boat, ofwhich the hull nected so that the main propeller I6 is driven directlyfrom the power plant P, while the auxiliarypropellers 2| and 26 idle.When sufiicient momentum has been obtained, and increased speed isdesired, the clutch C is shifted to estab lish the driving relationbetween the main drive shaft l0 and the auxiliary shafts l1 and 22. Theauxiliary propellers 2| and26 are thus brought into effect, and theiradditional propeller surface gives the desired increase in speed.

Referring now to Figure la modified form mechanism for driveablyconnecting the main drive shaft H] to the auxiliary shafts l1. and 22,In lieu of the sheave assembly will be described. 27, the auxiliaryshaft l'l carries a sprocket wheel 35 and a similar sprocket wheel 35 iskeyed on the shaft 22 in lieu of the sheave assembly28. The sprocketassembly 37 is ordinarily free on the main drive shaft H] but may becaused to rotate I therewith by the clutch. mechanism shown at C,

A sprocket chain 38 operatively connects the sprocket '35 with thesprocket assembly 31, while The collar 3! and the main sheave assembly29 have parts which are adapted I sheave assembly to rotate with saidshaft when 7 ill another sprocket chain 39 similarly connects thesprocket 3t and the sprocket assembly 31. While a single sprocket chainand a corresponding number of. parts is shown as connecting'each of, the

auxiliary shafts with the main drive shaft l0, it is I obvious that thenumber of chains on each side could be increased should occasionwarrant.

The clutch mechanism C may take any convenient form as above pointedout, althoughin the drawings it is shown as a substantial duplication ofthe clutch mechanism represented inIFigyu'rel. v I ,Figure 3 shows yet..a .third modification in. which a main herring bone gear assembly isplemental herringbone gear 4| is keyed to the auxiliary shaft I! andmeshes with the main gear 40, while still another herringbone gear 42 iskeyed on the auxiliary shaft.22 and also meshes with the main gear 40.the main gear 50 is caused to rotate with the main ,shaft It by theclutch mechanism C, that the auxiliary shafts l! and 22 will be driven.

While preferred specific embodiments of the invention are hereinbeforeset forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not tobe limitedto th exact constructions illustrated and described, becausevarious modifications of these details may be provided in putting theinvention into practice within the purview of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

I. In a power drive for marine craft a main drive shaft; a powerconnection member freely rotatable on said shaft; clutch mechanism causing said power connection member to rotate with said shaft when occasiondemands; a pair of auxiliary drive shafts,'power' connection memberskeyed to said auxiliary shafts; and means for operatively connectingsaid power connection members on said auxiliary shafts to the powerconnection member'o-n said main drive shaft.

2. In a power drive for marine craft a main drive shaft; a sheaveassembly freely rotatable on said shaft; clutch mechanism for causingsaid occasion demands; a pair of auxiliary drive shafts; a sheaveassembly keyed to each of said auxiliary drive shafts; and beltsdriveably con- 'necting the sheave assemblies on said auxiliary shaftswith the sheave assembly on said main drive shaft.

3. In a power drive for marine craft a pair of auxiliary drive shafts; asheave mounted on each of said auxiliary shafts in driving relation withrespect thereto,- eachfof said sheaveshaving' a peripheral groove ofVicross-section; a maindrive shaft'arranged, substantially between saidauxiliary shafts; a sheave assembly on said main drive shaft, includingsheave elements corresponding in shape to those carried by said,auxiliary shafts;

main drive shaft; clutch mechanism adapted to be operated to driveablyconnect said sprocket wheel assembly and said main drive shaft; and.

chains driveably connecting said sprocket Wheel assembly withthesprocket wheels on said iary shafts.

, 5. .In a, power drive for marine craft a main drive shaft, agearfreely rotatable on said shaft;

clutch mechanism adapted to establish adriving relation between saidgearand said main drive shaft; a pair of auxiliary drive. shaftsarranged on opposite sides of said main drive shaft: and a' gear keyedto each of said auxiliary shafts and meshing. with said i 'WILLIAM C.WOSENITZ.

It is obvious that when auxilgearonthe main drive shaft.

